Bright Lights
by Cerulean Pen
Summary: The glitz and glamour wasn't at all what they thought it would be, instead, it almost ruined everything.


Bright Lights

Summary: The glitz and glamour wasn't at all what they thought it would be, instead, it almost ruined everything.

English Romance/Drama Rated: T Chapters: Words:

Chapter 1:

What Time Is It?

**Note: This is indeed second generation, and has the original pairings I invented. Their bus driver is named Ian Hawke, it is before he turned into a record producer. He will play a bigger part further in the story. Rated T for cursing, minor violence, and slight graphic content.**

**Enjoy!**

Sixteen year old Alex Seville took a deep breath, opening his eyes to find he was still flopped on the seats. The tour bus shakily drove down the road, bobbing up and down whenever a pothole came its way. The bus was unbearably hot, coming from the extreme heat streaming through the windows.

He sat up, sleepily looking around at the other occupants of the bus. His twin sister, Melissa, had her head on her boyfriend, Tyler's, shoulder, both of them fast asleep. Ellen had her head in Jason's lap, but he was awake, reading from his book. Ellen's twin brother, Thomas, had fallen asleep on the floor, May held in his arm. Lillian was leaning against him, her soft blond hair tickling his nose. He knew better then to move and wake her up. Though she was incredibly sweet, she hated to be awakened.

Alex crossed his arms, staring out the window sulkily. He couldn't believe his summer had turned into this. His parents were Alvin and Brittany Seville, two of the most famous stars there ever was. It turned out, both he and Melissa could sing. Then, Jason, May, Ellen, Thomas, Tyler, and Lillian could sing as well, and they were all approved for a summer long tour.

He still remembered the night before they left, he and Lillian had gotten into a huge argument. They weren't the feuding couple, but this time, they had been angry...

_Flashback_

_Alex threw his suitcase onto his red sheeted bed, absent-mindedly throwing red shirts into it. Whole summer, he had to waste his whole summer, with his parents. It was so unfair, why couldn't he make his own decisions about his career?_

_There were exactly six knocks on the door, so he knew who it was. "Come in!" he called, crawling under his bed to get his lucky red sneakers. _

_Lillian stepped into the bedroom, her yellow duffel bag already pressed to her hip. She smiled a little to see him under the bed, lower half squirming around. "Uh, are you okay?"_

_He banged his head on the bed, muttering a curse word a bit loudly as he shimmied out from under the bed. "Oh, hell, not now. What's up?"_

_She brought him to his feet, tying to sneakers together, placing them in his suitcase pocket. "I just came over to see how you were doing. Tyler wanted to come see Mel, and I tagged along to help you pack." She craned her neck, peering at the mess around the room. "It's a good thing I came, too."_

_Alex chuckled, elbowing her in the arm. He was in a pretty bad mood, but she brightened it. "Okay, I get it, I'm a wreck. That's why I have you."_

_Lillian blushed, softly giggling, folding up all of his pairs of blue jeans. "I guess that is why. So, Mom told me that our first destination was going to be in Oregon. I almost forgot that was a state."_

_He rolled his eyes, taking her bag, unzipping it to find all of her things neatly folded and rolled up inside. "Dang, how do you do it?"_

_"Magic."_

_Once again, he rolled his eyes, walking over to his closet to see if he was forgetting anything. He had taken about all of his closet, which wasn't a lot, considering Melissa took up about three fourths of it. Alex scanned the bedroom a moment, then pulled a box from the top shelf, taking out the only thing inside. His dad's old cap. It was worn, red fabric thin, bill cockeyed, but it was still his dad's. He tossed it over to her._

_Lillian examined the cap, rubbing it between her fingers before slipping it with his shirts. "You're taking your dad's cap? What if your mom sees it?"_

_Alex refrained from complaining, instead collapsed on his bed, groaning loudly. "Who cares what my mom does and doesn't see?"_

_She looked sad at the remark, struggling to close the vinyl suitcase. The zipper wouldn't budge, so she hopped onto the top, forcing the lid down. Her slim figure didn't do much to weigh it down, barely even brought the lid moving. "Is your mom really that bad?"_

_He lifted his face from the pillow, feeling angry at her ignorance of his parents. "Wanna bet? She is a real you-know-what, and could care less about me and Mel. Worse of all, she divorced my father. So, yeah, she is that bad."_

_Lillian pushed as hard as she could, tugging at the zipper, failing to close his suitcase. "Can you cut her a little slack, she's trying to raise two children by herself."_

_Alex was unbelievably frustrated at how nobody else understood how it felt. "Lill, you don't get it. She doesn't care about anybody but herself, and I don't want to go on some dumb tour, just to become a plastic back-stabber like she is!"_

_She gave up on the suitcase, standing in front of it, responding to his last sentence. "Can't you at least have a little bit of faith in this tour? Don't you think it could be fun, the eight of us, traveling across America? Ellen kept me on the phone for about two hours, chatting nonstop all about she and Jason having something special planned."_

_He yanked the suitcase closed with surprising strength, anger fueling his actions. "Oh yeah, spending my summer in a rusty bucket, being dragged across the country. You know Ellen, she'll get excited over anything."_

_Lillian stood directly in front of him, their eyes meeting exactly. "Al, c'mon, she's our cousin, and one of my best friends. If you give it a chance, maybe we could have some fun!"_

_Alex finally exploded, almost pushing her down in rage. "Are you listening to me? My mother is a b, my dad hasn't called us in six years, she's sending me on this tour to get rid of me! I don't want to be a freakin' spoiled star like she is! This tour isn't going to be fun, it'll be an excuse to get rid of me!"_

_She clamped her mouth shut, turning her back on him, leaving his room silently. The door slammed behind her._

_He sat on his suitcase, realizing the mistake he had made by exploding in her face. Then again, he was telling the truth..._

Alex took a long deep breath, clearing his mind of all anger. His father had taught it to him when he was ten, to take a deep breath, picture yourself in a better situation, then let it all out. He did, feeling much calmer then he did a few seconds ago. Lillian stirred, lifting her head off of his shoulder, blinking a few times. He felt awkward after their fight, if she would be mad right now, or forgive him.

Without warning, the bus skidded to the right, sending everyone flying. Alex felt someone mash into his side, pressing his face against the window. "What the h-"

Their driver, Ian Hawke, turned around, slamming down on the brakes. "Sorry about that, a deer was in the road."

There was a very slow scramble to get back to the seats, with many soft curse words thrown in. Once she was back in her seat, Melissa began to bang her head against the window. "Ugh, I hate this bus."

Tyler kissed her cheek, propping his feet up on the hard seat. "I feel you babe, I don't think I've ever been in a bus that can bounce this much."

Ellen scrubbed at her eyes, shaking out her shoulder-length blond hair. She laid her head back in Jason's lap, quickly falling asleep. He smiled down at her, brushing aside her hair from her face.

Thomas helped May back to her feet, grinning as she blushed. They went back over to their seats, beginning to talk excitedly about their first destination.

Alex couldn't help but envy everyone, how they never went over relationship bumps like he was right now. It didn't seem like it was his fault, Brittany was one of his least favorite people in this world. He didn't give a crap if she gave birth to him, she divorced his dad and turned out to be the cheapest star to ever live.

"Al!"

_Well, speak of the devil, _he thought darkly to himself at the false enthusiastic exclamation of his nickname. Alex slowly got to his feet, with a small look of sympathy from Lillian.

Brittany had her own little room in the back, where she was lounging on a red loveseat, poised perfectly. She wore a long, carnation silk dress, with matching heels, her auburns tresses piled perfectly around her face, a glass held in her hand. "Alex dear," she spoke elegantly, though he could see right through it, "I'm going to be leaving for a movie-shoot after the concert tonight. So, I was wondering that until I return, you care for everyone else during the tour?"

It wasn't an offer, it was an order with a question mark on the end that would get him killed if he didn't follow it. Still, caring for everyone didn't seem as bad as having Brittany stay with them the whole tour. "Yeah, yeah, I'll keep an eye on things," he agreed quickly, edging back towards the door.

"Oh, sweetie, there's no need to be afraid of me, I'm your mother anyhow," Brittany cooed, taking another sip of her drink, hiccupping obviously.

Alex couldn't actually believe he was saying the next words that flew out of his mouth: "You aren't my mother."

He ran as fast as he could out of the room, slamming it behind him, diving into the seat.

She stormed out, her perfect face screwed up in ultimate anger at her son. "Alexander David Seville, get your little ass in here right now!"

He approached her carefully, his ice blue eyes squeezed shut in horror over what would come back. Brittany grabbed his arm, and dragged him back into the room, the door shutting behind them.

Immediately, Melissa jumped to her feet, letting out a strangled scream that sounded like she was being attacked. She put her hands over her dark strawberry blond hair, still screaming in utter frustration. "Why does she have to do that all of the time, to her own son, my own brother? Why! Why! Why!"

Tyler quickly jumped up to her rescue, wrapping his arms around her, whispering reassuring words in her ear. The others could only watch in shock, fear, and a muted anger over Brittany as well.

Finally, Melissa composed herself well enough to speak through her tears, voice breaking every few syllables. "I can't believe that I actually hate my own mother," she murmured from Tyler's shirt, sniffling in a way totally unlike her normal girly, collected personality.

Ellen turned to see the familiar spark of anger starting to flame inside of Jason's emerald eyes. Anytime the slightest thing happened to any of them, it always made him mad, but extremely protective. "Jay...let's not do anything that might affect our or their lives. So, please, don't go in there and try to convince Brittany. Eleanor has already told me about how difficult it is to stand up to her."

He could only give a slight nod, his jaw clamped to tight in anger to properly answer her.

Lillian jumped to her feet, without a word or letting out a scream, and stormed right into the back room before anyone could argue with her. There was a long period of silence, that seemed to eat away at each of their nerves with each passing second. Then, Brittany stomped out, ordering Ian to stop the car at the nearest bus station. "...I need a drink," she murmured not-so-quietly, stepping off of the bus without another word.

The moment she left, Melissa, Tyler, Jason, Ellen, May, and Thomas all broke out into cheers. Lillian walked back out of the room, Alex at her side, looking a little banged up.

"Damn," he cursed, wiping his split lip with the back of his sleeve, but a smile still breaking through. "So long, mother dearest."

Even Ian, who had worked for her before, had to laugh along with them when he heard that.

Thomas look over at May, bursting excitement and fear written across her face. He intertwined his hand with hers, realizing how her cerulean eyes seemed to glow under the stage lights. "Are you ready?" he asked softly, handing her one of the microphones, the sound of the crowd outside almost deafening.

She nodded at him, smiling, then took off her purple rimmed glasses, handing them shakily to him. "I sure am," May answered, taking a deep breath as the eight stepped onstage, the cheers growing even louder.

_Everyone_

_[Speaking]:C'mon[Singing]:What time is it?SummertimeIt's our vacationWhat time is it?Party timeThat's rightSay it loudWhat time is it?Time of our livesAnticipationWhat time is it?SummertimeSchool's outScream and shoutAlex:Finally summer's hereGood to be chillin' outI'm off the clockThe pressure's outNow my girl's what it's all aboutLillian:Ready for some sunshineFor my heart to take a chanceI'm here to stayNot movin' awayReady for a summer romanceAlex & Lillian:Everybody readyGoin' crazy, yeah we're outCome on and let me hear yousay it nowRight nowEveryone:What time is it?SummertimeIt's our vacationWhat time is it?Party timeThat's rightSay it loudWhat time is it?Time of our livesAnticipationWhat time is it?SummertimeSchool's outScream and shoutMelissa:Goodbye to rulesNo summer schoolI'm free to shop till I dropTyler:It's an education vacationMelissa & Tyler:And the party never has to stopMelissa:We've got things to doWe'll see you soonTyler:And we're really gonna miss you allMelissa:Goodbye to you and youTyler:And you and youMelissa:Bye, byeMelissa & Tyler:Until next fallMelissa_

_[Speaking]:Bye, byeMay & Thomas:Everybody readyGoin' crazy, yeah we're outCome on and let me hear yousay it nowRight nowEveryone:What time is it?SummertimeIt's our vacationWhat time is it?Party timeThat's rightSay it loudWhat time is it?Time of our livesAnticipationWhat time is it?SummertimeSchool's outScream and shoutEllen & Jason:No more waking up at 6 A.M.'Cause now our time is all our ownMay & Thomas:Enough already, we're waitingC'mon let's goEveryone_

_[speaking]:We're outta controlAlrightEverybodyYeahC'mon[Singing]:School pride, let's show itThe champions, we know itWildcats are the bestRed, white, and goldWhen it's time to win, we do itWe're number one, we proved itLet's live it upParty downThat's what the summer's all aboutWhat time is it?Lillian:Summertime is finally hereEveryone:Let's Celebrate!Everyone:What time is it?Melissa, Lillian, Alex, Tyler:We wanna here you loud and clear nowEveryone:School's outMay, Ellen, Thomas, Jason:We can sleep as late as we want toEveryone:It's our timeMelissa, Lillian, Alex, Tyler:Now we can do whatever we wanna doEveryone:What time is it?May, Ellen, Thomas, Jason:It's summertimeEveryone:We're lovin' itMelissa, Lillian, Alex, Tyler:C'mon and say it again nowEveryone:What time is it?May, Ellen, Thomas, Jason:It's party timeLet's go and haveThe time of our lives_

As he heard the excited cheers from the crowd, Alex actually felt happy, a little out of breath from the song, his microphone nearly slipping from the sweat covering his hand. "Good night, Oregon!"

"So, was that as 'unbearable' as you claimed it would be?" Lillian asked, the gang heading backstage to change.

"Only because you were right next to me the entire time," he told her, loving the way she blushed. He hoped this meant their fight was over, their romantic slate wiped clean.

The boys went into one dressing room, while the girls filed into another, each embarrassed to see one of the opposite gender naked, even if they were related.

While Melissa struggled to get out of her glitter-spackled dress, she finally did a double-take at May's new appearance. "What the-where are your glasses?"

Self-consciously, from inside of the closet, she answered, even too shy to undress in front of her best friends. "Well...I don't honestly know: I just heard the crowd, saw the lights, then just felt...courageous."

Ellen squealed happily, running a brush through her blond hair to remove some of the hairspray. "Oh! You're growing up!"

"El, it's nothing insane, I'm just moving on for now, nothing to get all excited about," May explained, walking out of the closet, wearing a soft purple top and jeans.

Lillian threw her lemon yellow sweater on, smiling happily at her. "Still, I think you look extremely mature now," she complimented, then cocked her head. "Then, how can you see?"

She was about to answer, then put her hands over her eyes, as if it was written on her hand. When she took it off, her mouth was agape in shock, but it was almost happy shock. "I can see," May whispered, her face suddenly falling in fear, "I-I can _see."_

Melissa's remark was cut off by a knock on the door, and Alex walking in, his eyes covered. "Okay, are you girls decent?" he asked, clearly not wanting to see anything he shouldn't.

"You're good," Lillian called to him, which brought a look of relief to his face. The other three boys followed him in, all in their normal, casual clothes.

Ellen grabbed hold of Thomas and Jason, dragging them over to where May stood, frantically covering her eyes again. "Check this out: She can see! Without glasses!"

Jason put a finger to his mouth, his face set in a deep thinking expression, silent for what seemed like forever. Alex started humming the Jeopardy theme song, which only earned him annoyed glances. "Well, the only reason for your sight to be suddenly corrected would be either laser eye surgery or...no, not possible."

"What?" she asked, grabbing her twin brother's arm, the surprising edge in her voice a sure sign he shouldn't keep it a secret.

He sighed deeply, stopping to adjust his own blue rimmed glasses. "There have been some written reports of strange occurrences such as corrected sight after being attacked by...vampires."

May gasped, pressing her back against the wall, shaking her head in denial. "No...no, I thought it was just a dream, no, it can't be real...no."

Thomas couldn't believe sweet, innocent, shy May had been attacked by vampires. It didn't fit together...he looked over at her, wide-eyed in panic.

Or maybe something was going wrong.

**Well, THAT took an extremely unexpected turn. I couldn't even believe it when I was typing it myself. If you read, please review, it took me about a week just to write this chapter.**


End file.
